Smriti Mandhana had a poor WPL 2025, both as captain of a team that didn’t make the knockouts and as a batter with mediocre returns. WPL winners in 2024, RCB finished second-last this time, just above UP Warriorz, and that too on net run-rate. Mandhana’s demeanour at her final press conference of this season after an 11-run win against against Mumbai Indians, however, gave us a wise and pragmatic captain who had ended on a high, and not a sullen leader after a disappointing season. She became slightly philosophical, too, almost summoning the cricketing gods as she rued her team’s failure to clinched some of the crucial moments. “Yeah, we were just having a joke post the match that we started the season on a high, ended it on a
Category Archives: SPORTS
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73956824/2199925365.0.jpg?w=1000&resize=1000,500 "7 college basketball freshmen ready to ball in womens March Madness bracket, ranked")
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March is when stars are born. It’s when players are asked to step up in crucial moments, when they attempt the improbable and pull off the seemingly impossible. In basketball, the stage doesn’t get any bigger than March Madness. It feels like we see a few freshmen really break out during the NCAA Tournament every season. Last year was no exception. We watched JuJu Watkins scored 30 points in a Sweet 16 win over Baylor, we saw Hannah Hidalgo stuff the stat sheet in a second round victory over Ole Miss, and we were astonished by Audi Crooks’ record-setting performance – 40 points on 18-of-20 shooting to go along with 12 rebounds – in an unlikely triumph over Maryland. This March, we have more stellar rookies to pay attention to.
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It was a quieter day on the news front, with the rush of initial signings slowing down as teams take stock from a busy Monday. We still had plenty of signings and a few trades, and more movement is still to come. Now that we have a moment to breathe, we can take a step back and evaluate teams more holistically. After the first day, it can be tough to label quiet teams as “losers” when they could have easily made a slew of additions today. After the second day, however, we get a better picture of what teams are doing successfully and where they’ve fallen short. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some winners and losers from the second day of free agency: Winner: Vikings QB
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Georgia Bulldogs guard Silas Demary Jr. (5) drives the ball on Auburn Tigers guard Tahaad Pettiford (0) as Auburn Tigers take on Georgia Bulldogs at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala., on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. Auburn Tigers lead Georgia Bulldogs 29-24 at halftime. There is plenty on the line for both Georgia and Oklahoma when the pair square off in the first round of the SEC tournament on Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn. For the Bulldogs (20-11), the No. 11 seed in the tournament going against the No. 14 Sooners (19-12), an NCAA Tournament berth appears secure. Georgia is mainly battling to improve its tournament position, as it is expected to make the program’s first appearance since 2015 and just its fourth in the last 23 years. Bulldogs coach Mike White
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Another back injury for Jasprit Bumrah in the same spot where he had surgery “could be a career-ender” according to former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond, whose career ended prematurely due to chronic back problems. Bumrah has not played since he walked off for scans on the second afternoon of the New Year’s Test in Sydney this year. What was reported as back spasms then turned to be a stress-related injury, which forced him to miss the Champions Trophy. Bumrah is currently at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru doing rehab and there is no clarity yet on when he will be fully fit or whether he will start for Mumbai Indians (MI) at IPL 2025. This is the first time Bumrah has suffered a back injury since
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Paris Saint-Germain’s Italian goalkeeper #01 Gianluigi Donnarumma stops the penalty shot by Liverpool’s Uruguayan striker #09 Darwin Nunez (L) during the last 16 second leg UEFA Champions League football match between Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on March 11, 2025. (Photo by Darren Staples / AFP) Paris Saint-Germain progressed to the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Tuesday after beating Liverpool 4-1 in a penalty shoot-out to win an epic last-16 tie between the clubs. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in Paris, PSG levelled the tie on aggregate thanks to Ousmane Dembele’s early strike at Anfield. There were plenty of chances but no further goals at the end of 90 minutes or extra time, taking the tie to a shoot-out. READ
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Feb 15, 2025; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies forward Tobi Lawal (1) works against Virginia Cavaliers forward Blake Buchanan (0) during the second half at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images Cal and Virginia Tech have struggled down the stretch, yet one of them will claim at least a second game in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. The teams meet in the first round Tuesday afternoon in Charlotte, N.C. No. 10 seed Virginia Tech (13-18) has lost two in a row and three of its last four, including Saturday’s 65-47 setback at then-No. 11 Clemson. Tuesday’s winner meets No. 7 seed Stanford on Wednesday night. “Let’s go play well,” Virginia Tech coach Mike Young said. “Won at Cal earlier in the year.” No. 15 seed Cal (13-18) has
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News Part of the reasoning was that it will help maximise crowd attendance to the match in Australia and boost global TV ratings The two teams first played a Test in 1877 • Getty Images Cricket Australia have announced that the one-off Test to be played between Australia and England at the MCG in March 2027 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of men’s Test cricket with a pink-ball day-night match. Two years out from the match, which is scheduled for March 11-15 to mark the 150th anniversary of the first Test match ever played at the venue between Australia and England in 1877, it was announced that the match would be a day-night fixture. It will mirror the recent women’s Ashes Test that was a day-night pink-ball match at the MCG in
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READ MORE: WNBA star Angel Reese blasts Delta over Toronto crash offer By JAKE NISSE Published: 23:54 EST, 7 March 2025 | Updated: 01:17 EST, 8 March 2025 Angel Reese has threatened to boycott WNBA games if the league does not meet players’ demands for the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, as the Chicago Sky forward continued to complain about her salary. Reese signed a four-year, $324,383 rookie scale contract ahead of her first pro season, and is set to make just under $75,000 in 2025, according to Spotrac. And while WNBA players are set to negotiate a new CBA after the players’ union opted out of the current one in October (it still runs through October 31, 2025), Reese said on her ‘Unapologetically Angel’ podcast that players could skip games if
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Feb 27, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Hockey Club center Clayton Keller (9) reacts to a goal against the Minnesota Wild during the third period at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images Well, finally, we’re off the schneid with that over victory last night on the basketball court. Now we transition back to the coolest game on earth with an over/under call on the matchup between the Utah Hockey Club and the Chicago Blackhawks. Interestingly, these two Central Division rivals just engaged in a last-second minor trade before today’s deadline. In exchange for dealing a fifth-round pick to Utah, the Blackhawks acquired a couple of youngsters and retired defenseman Shea Weber’s contract. Chicago also made a move earlier in the day, shipping out former starting goalie Petr
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Success in shooting requires steady hands, steely focus and the ability to block out all external distractions – but what about internal ones? For two-time English champion Ruth Mwandumba we are not talking about feeling peckish, or a little poorly; rather pregnancy and the prospect of being kicked by not only one or two feet at a time, but potentially four, and as many arms. “Twins, yeah, a massive shock,” said the smiling GB athlete, who is competing at the European Rifle Shooting Championships while six months pregnant. “It’s definitely a strange one [to compete] and not a normal thing people do! “I’ve had some rough training sessions ahead of the Europeans and some days where every shot felt like I was climbing Mount Everest because I was in so
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25893511/Screenshot_2025_03_01_at_6.27.26_PM.png?w=1000&resize=1000,500 "Sun Belt Tournament 2025: Bracket, schedule, scores, teams, and more")
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The Sun Belt Conference tournament is back. And so is the format known as “The Gauntlet.” Four teams tied atop the Sun Belt standings this season with matching 13-5 records in conference play — South Alabama, James Madison, Troy, and Arkansas State — and those four teams have earned byes into deep in the tournament. South Alabama enters as the No. 1 seed in the conference, as they were undefeated against the other three teams this season to secure the tiebreaker advantage. The Jaguars were 2-0 this season against Arkansas State, and notched wins over both Marshall and James Madison. Alabama State, courtesy of the top seed, earned a bye to the Sun Belt semifinals. The Duke entered last weekend with a chance to clinch the conference title and No.
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Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports that the Steelers have maintained an open dialogue with free agent QBs Russell Wilson and Justin Fields and are hoping to retain one of them as their start for the 2025 season.
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Frank Lampard is sitting behind a small table in a small room and is poking a bit of fun at himself. Superstitions? Yeah, he’s had a few. ‘Yeah I used to,’ Lampard laughs. ‘I used to eat the same meal in the same proportions and then walk the dog the same walk, the same laps of the park. I had a certain order of putting my boots on and putting my kit on. ‘But it became really consuming because then you lose or play badly and you reboot a few of them and then it becomes a continuing nonsense. ‘Having said that, I still retain a few of them in my own way here but I am trying to get them out of my head because it can make life
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Bobby Wagner’s tenure in Washington isn’t over yet. The veteran middle linebacker and heart of the Commanders’ defense has agreed on a contract for next season, according to a person with knowledge of the move. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the deal had not yet been announced. Set to turn 35 this summer, Wagner led the Commanders with 132 tackles during the regular season and was named to his 10th Pro Bowl. He made 25 more during their playoff run as the centerpiece of a much-improved defense. The well-respected veteran keyed a unit that went from last in the league before he and several newcomers arrived to finish 13th under first-year coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. ‘He’s a